If you've been reading for a while, please take the time to re-read from a few chapters back so the content is fresh is your minds again, it's time I finally wrapped this story up and end the wait. Please comment, vote and leave your thoughts on the story!
Kei:
"Horikita-san, Yosuke-kun, thanks for showing up so quickly, The extreme details of what I'm about to say now has to stay strictly a secret between only between us 3, until I say so in the future. Can you guys promise me that?" I asked them earnestly.
Horikita-san and Yosuke-kun nodded seriously, signaling their agreement and readiness to listen.
Relieved by their response, I launched into my explanation, detailing the intricate plan that would benefit not only us but also Kiyotaka.
"I want you guys to check our class list on the OAA app. It's about him" I said, pointing to the significant update.
As they checked their devices, their surprise was palpable upon seeing Ayanokoji's name on the class-2B roster, having been transferred from class-2A.
"Karuizawa-san, what's this about? W-why is Ayanokoji-kun's name back in our class list?" Horikita questioned, her voice tinged with confusion and concern, mirrored by Hirata.
Ayanokoji had been a member of Class-A for only about 3 weeks before the incident which left him stranded from the high school, but there it was, his name has re-appeared in class-2B and consequently removed from class-2A.
"Kei, please explain to us the what's happening, what's happened to Kiyotaka? We've heard absolutely nothing from him today, even the likes of Ichinose-san and people from other classes are concerned but we've clearly been told a lie about his status by the school" asked Hirata with much curiosity and worry.
I took a deep breath, preparing to dive into the complexities of the situation. "This is going to be a long story, but please bear with me. By the end, you might be surprised, but everything will be explained in due time," I assured them.
I thought to myself how uncharacteristic of me this was, I'm someone who has relied on Kiyotaka ever since we've started dating. Reflecting on my own transformation since dating him, I realized the importance of stepping up with my responsibilities. It was time to repay my debt to Kiyotaka's and strive for Class A, utilizing all that I had learned from him.
As the leader of the girls in our class, it's time I step up to an even bigger role and get what needs to be done, for him.
As someone who's actions have so drastically changed the culture of this class and given us a stepping stone to be great, I need to finally repay Kiyotaka's effort and do what must be done.
I can no longer just hide behind him every time I face an inconvenience, nor can I be so emotionally swayed by any troubles I face, I need to be strong and with the collaboration of everyone in class B, we must reach class A.
I told them everything, Kiyotaka's childhood and who he is, why he did what he did over the years at this school and what this school meant to him, and what our goal was now, as my story progressed, their expressions only grew with astonishment.
The main point being that if we managed to reach and graduate from class A, that the primary contributors of the class would receive that surprise bonus money reward.
Now who counts as primary contributor would be influenced by the decision of the class instructor as well as the leader of the class.
I believe the class had whole heartedly given on on striving for class A after Kiyotaka's transfer but Horikita-san seemed to have changed after his departure.
Horikita soon grasped the gravity of our mission. "We don't have much time to waste, then do we? There'll be a special exam announced tomorrow" she declared resolutely.
"Eh, that's all?" I replied to her
"It's not that, as surprised as I am, I understand the situation and realize this is going to be difficult, but for Ayanokoji-kun, this needs to be done. I felt like I never truly understood him during our time together but at some point, I realized he was extraordinary. It could be said that the only reason I am who I am today is because of the impact he's had on me." Said Horikita passionately.
"Why my brother viewed him in such high regards, I think I finally understand and I'm only able to respect Ayanokoji-kun even more now, if he believes that we can get this done, then I will not fail to betray the trust that he's placed on me as the leader of class 2-B. I've rambled on for quite a bit but those are my honest feelings, I feel like I owe Ayanokoji-kun this, to reach Class A and help his wishes come true." Horikita continued.
So this is Horikita-san... She's really amazing after all. I glanced over at Hirata-kun, who had no words to say yet but after hearing Horikita's response, he looked pumped and on-board with this.
"I've been thinking of this Karuizawa-san, but if Ayanokoji-kuns requirement is to graduate from class-A, why did he transfer back to our class instead of just staying with class-A?" A valid question from Horikita.
"I can't say... Maybe cus a fire was lit in your eyes when he left the class, he had hoped that his departure would spark your growth as he's always wanted your success from the beginning." I replied vaguely, although I had no direct proof of this, I always believed Kiyotaka saw a special potential in Horikita-san as a class leader. He believed that while she wasn't quite there yet at her best, all she needed was that small push from behind and him leaving is what caused this.
"Does he not care about Sakayanagi-san and the rest of his class-A peers?" Horikita asked
"Even I don't know what Kiyotaka is always thinking but there's one thing I'm sure of, and that is that he cares for us as a class a lot more than we think. Maybe not at the beginning but I truly believe that he's learned to care and understand us by each passing day over the last 2 years." I replied
"I wonder how much you have a role in that Karuizawa-san" Horikita answered in a cheeky voice
"Who knows..." I replied, unconsciously saying those words before shortly realizing that it was one his most common phrases. Horikita-san seemed to realize that as well before we both shortly laughed it off.
"I realize we have a goal we must accomplish now but we're quite a ways off from catching up to class-A, will this really be possible? What was the outcome of the combat tournament?" Hirata finally questioned.
"The one positive is that due to the cancellation of the Combat tournament after the disappearance of Ayanokoji-kun and Takuya Yagami, the positions of the classes did not change. As it stands, we will simply have to win all of the remaining exams and special-exams by a substantial margin to give ourself a chance. We absolute cannot afford to lose a single one or it might be over, the gap between us is just too large to allow for that." Horikita explained before continuing.
"I'll be honest, I had given up on the prospect of striving for class-A for some time but in my current-state, I believe its possible and I know exactly what we can do to accomplish this." Horikita concluded
She's right about that first part, simply put, we can't lose from now but if she had an idea in mind then we would do anything to support Horikita's plan.
"What are you thinking?" I asked her
Horikita POV
This bundle of information we've just received from Karuizawa-san, it's a lot but if Ayanokoji-kun truly believes in me then surely I'm capable of it. He's not the type to give me false hope or lie, no matter how much he's joked around, when it really mattered, he has always been serious with me.
However, it was my immaturity that let him down time after time and I hate myself for only realizing this now.
Think Suzune think... What would Ayanokoji-kun do if he was in my situation? How he analyses situations and thinks of plans that suit his needs, I need to replicate and do the same.
If I wish to ever get anywhere near his level, I must learn to view the problems the I face similar to how he would.
To cover all the angles, account for any missing holes and ensure that any loose ends are secured and don't come back to bite me later.
"For starters, we need to maximize every possible weapon and class-B to our fullest potential, and I mean everybody. That definitely starts with communication and understanding, tomorrow is a weekend but I'll immediately book a karaoke room to host the main pillars of a class and give them a run down. I know many of them have given up, but it's not over yet." I told Karuizawa-san
"That's a good start Horikita-san, and by everyone, surely that includes Koenji as well?" Hirata questioned
"That's exactly it, I plan to get Koenji on board no matter what, I will take responsibility of this and I promise I'll make it happen. With our current momentum, the addition of Koenji's cooperativeness will only increase our chances." I said confidently.
"That's a tall task Horikita-san, but only you're capable of doing this and so we'll leave this to you as our class Leader" Karuizawa-san told me.
Truly, I was thankful for Karuizawa-san as well, her development over the months have been a treat as a leader and I fully intent to use her abilities to the max.
"It's getting quite late now, I think we should return home for now and I will keep you guys posted of our next plans, I intend to think this through tonight and create a rough frame work of our plans from now until the the day we graduate." I told them.
"Also Horikita-san, this is useful but I have a feeling from now, the special-exams will be extremely high-risk but equally high-reward as I really think the school hopes to get even class C and D in the race for class A. While this means that class-A has a chance to substantially increase their lead, it also means that the other classes, including us can gain class points even faster. A loss would mean a great amount of points given up as well due to the high reward nature but we don't plan to lose from now." Kei replied.
"I see, if this is true then it could be very good for us. Right then, I'll head out now, please stay attentive on your phones as I will reach out within a few hours for tomorrows plans." I explained.
"You don't plan on getting any sleep tonight huh?" Karuizawa-san asked me
"Of-course not, I have bigger troubles to worry about starting with planning how to help that helpless idiot we'll never be able to forget." I replied, talking about Ayanokoji-kun of course.
"You're right about that, are you really sure you want to do this alone? Wouldn't it better with our help" She asked me
"I appreciate it Karuizawa-san but I'd really just like some alone time for this to collect myself and I'll make sure to share all the possible plans I think of and get the final approval from you guys." I told her
As I left the room along with Hirata-kun, It hit me, I wonder how it'll feel not seeing Ayanokoji-kun anymore until graduation? I may have taken his presence for granted but now that I think about it, I really might miss him soon. What we had, I can't even call it a friendship, it was so much more complicated then that but maybe I'll hear it from himself if I ever see him again.
"Hirata-kun, I'll leave you to gathering the main people from our class tomorrow, specifically please make sure to reach out to Kushida-san, Sudo-kun, Matsushita-san and Yukimura-kun. I'll handle Koenji-kun myself." I requested Hirata-kun.
"Leave it to me, I'll make a group chat by tomorrow morning and give a location and time." He answered.
As we parted ways, the weight of our mission and the absence of Ayanokoji-kun loomed large, but our determination to succeed for his sake, and ours, was stronger than ever.
To Be Continued...
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